Alex Albon explains bizarre air box incident after Azerbaijan GP qualifying

In the final stage of qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Williams driver Alex Albon exited the pit lane with an air box still attached to his car.

After the session, Albon explained that it was an unfortunate mistake made by a team eager to hit the track to qualify in the top 10.

Alex Albon: “We made a mistake”

Williams had a stunning qualifying session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix , with the cars of both Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto making it into Q3 for a shot at securing a comfortable starting position in the top 10.

The only problem? In its hurry to get Albon onto the track in order to take advantage of the slipstream available at the track, the team forgot to remove the air box normally placed around the rear of the cockpit.

Williams clocked the problem almost immediately, and Albon came to a stop at the end of the pit lane, where he was instructed to remove the air box. The British-Thai driver managed to free the component in the tight quarters of his cockpit, then drop it onto the tarmac beside his car. He was then able to hit the track and attempt to secure himself his best possible starting position.

Speaking on the incident, Albon said, “It’s just one of them things.

“Everyone’s trying their best. We made a mistake.”

Due to the long straightaway, drivers qualifying at the Baku street circuit attempt to get a good tow from their competitors in order to help them set a faster lap. Williams, in its hurry to get Albon out of the garage to take advantage of the slipstream, forgot the air box.

“There was a rush to get the slipstream in Q3 like there always is around here,” Albon explained to F1.com after the incident.

“We just missed out. Obviously the fan got left in.

“I’m sure everyone’s going to be kicking themselves for it, but you know, it happens. And I think we’ve normally been pretty on it with these kinds of things.”

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Albon not only withheld blame, but he also took a moment to look on the bright side.

“I’d rather it happen in Q3 than in Q1 and Q2 and not make it through,” he said, before noting that, at most, the mistake likely cost him two positions.

“We’re still in the mix,” Albon said.

Then, reality set in: “We’re still hopefully starting in the top 10 tomorrow. I need to see now if everything was legal after that session!”

As of this writing, the FIA has not announced any penalties related to the mistake by Williams. Barring any incoming decisions regarding the error, Alex Albon will remain in the top 10 at the start of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

That excellent starting position will set Albon up well for a strong performance — one he feels confident about.

“Race pace was strong,” Albon told F1.com when asked about how he performed in practice.

“On Friday, I actually overtook Fernando [Alonso] in my race run and pulled away.

“We don’t know fuel loads and engine modes and all that kind of thing, but we had good pace. I had really good deg on my car.

“So I’m optimistic, hopefully we can keep that P10.”

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